This will be a quick post about my first attempt at babkah. Let’s just say it wasn’t a complete fail but it also wasn’t a win either.

What’s better than a cutout sugar cookie? A cute pinwheel cookie because it’s both vanilla and chocolate! It takes my simple cut out sugar cookie and adds another delicious element and design. Either way they are delicious!

When I was growing up I remember always having these cake-y cookies whenever we had extended family get togethers. Usually they were held at my grandparents house on the North Shore and one of the family would pick up Black and Whites from a Jewish deli/bakery near Boston. I didn’t know they were called Black and White Cookies until after college and that they aren’t a Jewish thing but a New York staple!

This treat is a combo of two of my favorite desserts I have created over the years. My Cecelia named them BB Treats- Blondies and Brownies together. They are decadent and truly addicting! The only hard part about making them is waiting for them to cool while they make the whole house smell so good.

With this whole social distancing all I want are comfort foods or foods I grew up loving. One of those desserts is rice pudding. I don’t know about you but there is something so warm and inviting, eating something so rich and creamy.

As we are going into our fifth week of social distancing we are starting to get into a rhythm. We have virtual schooling, messaging and video calling friends, lots of outside time when the weather is favorable. Yet our meals have been mostly normal except our poor Cecelia had a nasty accident on the school playground right before schools were shut down…

It’s been a crazy few weeks with social distancing in full swing. Baking has helped ease some anxiety and put smiles on my family’s faces (and maybe a few pounds on their waistlines)

“Moist” It’s pretty much a universally hated word. It brings about a visceral reaction in most people that cannot be explained. Do you know what’s worst than the word? Actual moist baked goods…

When you think of vegan cupcakes most people think chocolate. This is because most vanilla cupcakes just aren’t quite right when you change or substitute an ingredient. It’s either too dry, flavorless, or grainy. In other words, it’s not great, so it’s not worth eating. Well that is a thing of the past

It has come to my attention that I had a great variety of tasty baked donuts but I was missing one of the best ones around- chocolate! With my Cecelia being the chocoholic, that she is, this was a huge misstep for me.

My Cecelia is a chocoholic it seems. She loves everything she can get her hands on, as long as it’s nut free, that’s chocolate. Since the holiday season started she has also become a really big pie fan. So what do you do when you have a chocolate fan who loves pie? You make her the best chocolate pudding pie you can!

It’s done! It’s finally done! After what felt like an eternity our kitchen is 100% complete. From floors to ceiling everything has been removed, replaced, fixed, and positioned the way my dream kitchen was envisioned.

We thought we were getting totally back on schedule. Well that was until someone grazed the water pipe for the sink and all of a sudden they hear a whoosh. And the pipe falls to the floor.

Yet another interesting quirk about our house has made itself known while the kitchen renovation is underway…

This is a phrase you never want to hear when you are doing any sort of renovation on your house. Since the start of our kitchen project it has been said four times already and it has only been a week!

We are quickly learning that nothing goes smooth when it comes to anything with our house. We should of known that a large project would be derailed at least three times before it even started.

My Cecelia is a social butterfly and loved by her peers. She is invited to many parties and play dates. Most, if not all. Of her friends know she has allergies and let their families know she needs to be safe.